Dog-tag collectors keep on trail for new items

Henry Keyes doesn't own a dog, but that hasn't stopped him from looking for opportunities to add to his collection of dog tags.

He has about 16,000 now, and the collection is still growing.

Mr. Keyes is from Iowa, but he traveled to Oregon last week to participate in the annual conference for the International Society of Animal License Collectors (ISALC).

It's the first time the conference has been in Oregon since the Kentucky-based group was founded in 1976. The group, known as the "Dog Tag Club," travels throughout the United States for the conference and has grown to more than 120 active members.

Those involved with the group are interested in collecting animal license tags, certificates, and related materials, said Jake Eckenrode of Bellefonte, Pa., president of the group.

"Most members are just collectors to begin with," he said. "But most collect tags - you know, that thing that hangs around a dog's neck."

About 20 members of the group along with their spouses met at the Holiday Inn Express on Navarre Avenue in Oregon to buy, sell, and trade the tags that they collect and to give out an award for best of show.

The price of each tag is negotiated between the two parties involved in the transaction, said Bill Bone of Clinton, Ky. The most he's seen paid for a tag was $799 for one that was made in